Filesharing at Seattle University

So I just finished my digital journalism final, and I really like how it turned out.

It's 5 minutes. Click here to watch it in HD. Or watch a lower quality encode below:




Filesharing at Seattle University from Angelo Carosio on Vimeo.

Hilary, You're Splitting the Democratic Party. Stop

At the beginning of this primary season, we assumed that the Democratic candidate would be Sen. Hilary Clinton. The media referred to her as the “presumptive democratic candidate,” and her campaign nailed the point into our head that the race would be decided when she won “Super Tuesday.”

“I will win the nomination.” she said months ago.

Now, after splitting the Super Tuesday delegates with Sen. Barack Obama and losing 11 straight contests afterwards, she has come to the realization that she no longer is the frontrunner in this election. A man with the power to inspire and bring people together has put together a stunning grassroots campaign aimed at getting votes from the ground up, and it’s working. Contests are slipping out of Hillary’s fingers, and her once large delegate lead has disappeared.

Her response, however, is doing nothing more than hurting the democratic party. Instead of realizing that it's possible she isn’t what the American people want, instead she is attempting to attack and belittle Obama’s credibility in moves that could be potentially fatal for the party’s hopes to win the general election. In Ohio, Pictures have been circulated from campaign officials that attempt to make Obama look Muslim, and she has even called his patriotism into question in a picture showing Obama singing the national anthem without his hand on his heart. Playing race and religion cards are nothing more than fear tactics, easily targeting middle American states like Ohio.

Bill Clinton said it best in 2004: "If one candidate is trying to scare you, and the other one's trying to get you to think, if one candidate's appealing to your fears and the other one's appealing to your hopes, you better be voting for the one that wants you to think and hope. That's the best."

These tactics may be more tolerated in a general election, but Hillary needs to be reminded that whoever wins this contest still has a long way to go to defeat John McCain, and whoever it is going to be needs all the support they can get. Primary elections are supposed to be about issues and electability, not attempting to alienate your opponent from people who might be seeing him on a general election ballot. Hillary has even said that she and John McCain have the experience necessary to run the white house, but Obama lacks it. Should he win the nomination, its statements like that that will hurt his chances of being elected, as the people who used to support her vote for McCain instead of Obama.

If Obama had lost 11 straight contests and then come back with several squaky wins putting a very small dent in the lead, the media and the party would most likely be pushing him to get out of the race so the Democratic Party could unite under Hillary. Due to her once front-runner status she is still in the race, and insisting that "this is the beginning of her comeback" and rumors are abound that she's planning on using sneaky tactics like seating Michigan and Florida delgates to reclaim the lead. Most states coming up have been the kind of states that favored Obama. His lead will only increase as time goes on.

Here’s my message to you, Ms. Clinton. The odds for you to legitamately become the democratic candidate are very very slim. Every minute you stay in this race, every negative ad you put out against Obama harms the man who will probably be representing your party in the general election. The position of both of your candidacies is that Americans are ready for someone who isn't George Bush. Shouldn't you do everything you can to make sure we can elect someone who isn't endorsed by the man? Republicans are starting their run for November with McCain in front, and the Democrats need to do the same. Obama has had win after win in almost twice the states that you have. Texas and Ohio were so close that the delgates given to both candidates bordered on even. Obama has a significant ammount of support, and airing negative adds to swing a couple hundred thousand people to your side isn't going to change that. The best thing you could do for the Democratic party right now is to drop out and support Barack Obama. If you stay in, you will only disenfranchise all of the young voters who turned out in record numbers this election to support him.

After 8 years of Bush, we need a change. We need as many votes for the Democratic candidate as possible, and the longer that this is drawn out, the harder those votes will be to obtain. Swallow your pride, and let the democratic process that has done this country well for hundreds of years work the way that it’s supposed to.

Develoment, Development, Developement!

Everyone living in Queen Anne knows that new buildings and development is pretty much a constant. Just driving down the street it's obvious that new buildings are being put up all the time. Here at the Queen Anne Neighborhood Blog, we're ahead of the cranes, bringing you news about new development before there are any signs of it going on. Currently, there are some big projects underway that we hope to give you a first glimpse of.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Currently on the corner of 5th and Mercer St. in Queen Anne sits a Seattle Center Parking lot, one which is probably worth more than most people make in several years. Since such a large parking lot can't occupy prime real estate for too long, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation has decided to build a new, permanent campus on the site. Based on community input from the Design Review Board, the concept is "intended to reflect both the foundation’s Seattle roots and its focus on reducing inequities and improving lives around the world." according to the foundation's website.

In addition to the huge campus, the foundation will add nearly 2000 jobs to Queen Anne, and bring with it an increase in traffic, hotels, and foreign diplomats visiting the area. The ground is being broken for the building in July, and it will compleley change the face of Queen Anne as it is known today. Look out for this beautiful building to be completed in a couple of years.

Seattle Center

The Queen Anne staple Seattle center is also recieving a large rennovation in the coming years, something this park has not seen since it was built in the '60s. The Seattle Center has been working closely with various Queen Anne groups like the Land Use Review comitee to develop a plan for this campus that moves it in to the 21st century. According to the Seattle Center website, large changes will me made to the overall camus, including the removal of the "fun forest" amusement park area in favor of more open space, more transportation options, and additional programs for young and old people alike. They are also trying to emphasize sustainable design in all of the aspects of the Center's redevelopment.

There are some interesting things in store for this area, and the more jobs that are created here, the more people want to move here, fueling the need for even more development. It's a continuing process, and one that any Queen Anne resident should stay on top of.